Faith and the Founding of America

In his Farewell Address, President George Washington said: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.”The political prosperity which Americans have long endured have come by way of intense morality lead by Reason. And, for many, this endurance was tested by their Faith. A faith that shared the understanding of an Almighty.

In many, this is where America has gone wrong. Americans are drifting away from its basic Foundation and the principles that this country were founded upon. This is also supported with the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

A republic that stands where the People, from among themselves, freely elect representatives to make laws for them. A nation under God – whatever Being you choose Him to be – in which you are free to believe in and have faith in your Almighty.

And it is the Almighty who accepted this land, and chose this nation to prosper and flourish by His grace. A grace so dignified when “in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world,” they came together and agreed that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As you see, right at its beginning, this nation formed a covenant with God which is repeated in the Declaration: “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” And with the protection of a Divine Providence, this nation has endured a Freedom that was, and is endowed by its Creator.

That is what separates America from other nations, our Divine freedom. However, precious as it is, our freedom is always tested. As President Lincoln said at Gettysburg that we are “testing whether this nation can long endure.” Endure as it may be when Thomas Paine, in The Crisis, saying: “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

Right now, that is our test of today. Our souls are tried more than ever before, as well as our country. In direction to his men at Lexington, Joseph Warren said, “Our country is in danger now, but not to be despaired of . On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rest the happiness and the liberty of millions not yet born. Act worthy of yourselves.”

That we must do. The fortunes of the future of America do depend upon us. We the People, must act accordingly to restore the foundation of this great nation, as it has begun to develop some heavy cracks. Some of those cracks are within the representatives that were elected, but the majority of these cracks are within us and the deterioration of the Founding Faith of America.

So, we must, as President Thomas Jefferson said in his first inaugural address, “Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself but dreary things. And let us reflect that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered,we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions.”

It is time for us to unite, and set apart our differences of a Divine Providence, and further understand that this country was founded upon the idea of all Faiths, in unity, for the progression of the freedom loving society.